Edison Chouest to build new vessels, expand port facilities

Mike HillCity Editor

Published: Tuesday, July 9, 2013 at 2:37 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, July 9, 2013 at 2:37 p.m.

Edison Chouest Offshore is greatly enlarging its fleet of oilfield service ships and expanding its terminal facilities at Port Fourchon, which will result in an undetermined number of new jobs, company officials said Tuesday.

During the next two to three years, the Galliano-based company will build more than 40 new boats. Officials would did not disclose their total value, but it is expected to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

“In the company’s 53-year history, this is quite likely its largest or most significant” undertaking, said Lonnie Thibodeaux, Chouest director of corporate communications.

A vast majority of the ships will be constructed at its four U.S.-affiliate shipyards: North American Shipbuilding in Larose, LaShip in Houma, Gulf Ship in Gulfport, Miss., and Tampa Ship in Tampa, Fla. It will also build ships at its Brazilian shipyard, Navship.

“The two shipyards that are going to see the most impact are in Larose and Houma,” Thibodeaux said.

LaShip is still seeking 300- 400 skilled shipyard tradesmen, and Tuesday’s announcement will increase that number. The company is in a “very active hiring mode,” he said.

Chouest’s worldwide fleet approaches 250 highly specialized offshore service and support vessels that it leases to customers, and Thibodeaux said it employs 10,500 workers at all of its locations.

“Reacting to customer demands, ECO continues to lead the industry by designing, building and operating new generation vessels featuring the latest available technology,” said Chouest President Gary Chouest.

Of the new vessels, the company will build 17 312-foot supply boats with options to build 20 more. The ships include a new hull form designed to maximize fuel efficiency, Chouest says. They can carry more than 22,000 barrels of liquid mud used in oil drilling operations, more than 2,000 barrels of methanol and more than 14,450 cubic feet of dry bulk.

“ECO owns and operates the largest fleet of new generation, high deadweight capacity PSVs in the global offshore service vessel industry. The new series of 312-foot PSVs under construction represents an evolution of ECO’s proven proprietary hull designs,” said Chouest’s Executive Vice President Dino Chouest.

The building program also includes two new icebreakers Arctic service, which are being designed. The boats will mark the fifth and sixth ice-breaking vessels in the company’s fleet, making Chouest the largest designer, builder, owner and operator of ice-breaking vessels in the U.S., the company says.

Chouest will also build four subsea construction boats for work in the Gulf of Mexico.

Other construction will include a 1.5 million-gallon refueling boat, a multi-purpose construction supply boat with a 150-metric-ton deck crane, a diesel electric well stimulation vessel and seven fast supply boats.

Thibodeaux said the company does not disclose how much the boats cost because of confidentiality agreements with customers and company policy. But Gary Chouest has said the company’s Aiviq Arctic supply vessel alone cost $200 million.

Chouest is also in the process of expanding its presence at Port Fourchon. Currently, 90 percent of all Gulf deepwater activity operates out of the port, with 85 percent serviced by one of Chouest’s operations.

“Chouest is hands down the largest tenant of the Port Commission,” said Chett Chiasson, the port’s executive director.

The company opened its C-Port with nine slips at Fourchon in 1996 and later added its C-Port 2 with nine slips. Its C-Port 3 is under construction and will feature six more slips. Chouest’s C-Port 4, which may have nine slips, is being designed.

Chouest this year bought the C-Terminal facility at Port Fourchon, which includes 2,000 linear feet of bulkheaded waterfront. The company plans to expand the C-Terminal work site, adding to its expansive outside storage area, warehouses, bulk, cement and barite plants, and fuel, water, mud and drilling fluid sales.

Design is also underway for a major port development to support the company’s vast vessel fleet in Brazil, the company said.

<p>Edison Chouest Offshore is greatly enlarging its fleet of oilfield service ships and expanding its terminal facilities at Port Fourchon, which will result in an undetermined number of new jobs, company officials said Tuesday.</p><p>During the next two to three years, the Galliano-based company will build more than 40 new boats. Officials would did not disclose their total value, but it is expected to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.</p><p>“In the company's 53-year history, this is quite likely its largest or most significant” undertaking, said Lonnie Thibodeaux, Chouest director of corporate communications.</p><p>A vast majority of the ships will be constructed at its four U.S.-affiliate shipyards: North American Shipbuilding in Larose, LaShip in Houma, Gulf Ship in Gulfport, Miss., and Tampa Ship in Tampa, Fla. It will also build ships at its Brazilian shipyard, Navship.</p><p>“The two shipyards that are going to see the most impact are in Larose and Houma,” Thibodeaux said.</p><p>LaShip is still seeking 300- 400 skilled shipyard tradesmen, and Tuesday's announcement will increase that number. The company is in a “very active hiring mode,” he said.</p><p>Chouest's worldwide fleet approaches 250 highly specialized offshore service and support vessels that it leases to customers, and Thibodeaux said it employs 10,500 workers at all of its locations.</p><p>“Reacting to customer demands, ECO continues to lead the industry by designing, building and operating new generation vessels featuring the latest available technology,” said Chouest President Gary Chouest.</p><p>Of the new vessels, the company will build 17 312-foot supply boats with options to build 20 more. The ships include a new hull form designed to maximize fuel efficiency, Chouest says. They can carry more than 22,000 barrels of liquid mud used in oil drilling operations, more than 2,000 barrels of methanol and more than 14,450 cubic feet of dry bulk.</p><p>“ECO owns and operates the largest fleet of new generation, high deadweight capacity PSVs in the global offshore service vessel industry. The new series of 312-foot PSVs under construction represents an evolution of ECO's proven proprietary hull designs,” said Chouest's Executive Vice President Dino Chouest.</p><p>The building program also includes two new icebreakers Arctic service, which are being designed. The boats will mark the fifth and sixth ice-breaking vessels in the company's fleet, making Chouest the largest designer, builder, owner and operator of ice-breaking vessels in the U.S., the company says.</p><p>Chouest will also build four subsea construction boats for work in the Gulf of Mexico.</p><p>Other construction will include a 1.5 million-gallon refueling boat, a multi-purpose construction supply boat with a 150-metric-ton deck crane, a diesel electric well stimulation vessel and seven fast supply boats.</p><p>Thibodeaux said the company does not disclose how much the boats cost because of confidentiality agreements with customers and company policy. But Gary Chouest has said the company's Aiviq Arctic supply vessel alone cost $200 million.</p><p>Chouest is also in the process of expanding its presence at Port Fourchon. Currently, 90 percent of all Gulf deepwater activity operates out of the port, with 85 percent serviced by one of Chouest's operations.</p><p>“Chouest is hands down the largest tenant of the Port Commission,” said Chett Chiasson, the port's executive director.</p><p>The company opened its C-Port with nine slips at Fourchon in 1996 and later added its C-Port 2 with nine slips. Its C-Port 3 is under construction and will feature six more slips. Chouest's C-Port 4, which may have nine slips, is being designed. </p><p>Chouest this year bought the C-Terminal facility at Port Fourchon, which includes 2,000 linear feet of bulkheaded waterfront. The company plans to expand the C-Terminal work site, adding to its expansive outside storage area, warehouses, bulk, cement and barite plants, and fuel, water, mud and drilling fluid sales.</p><p>Design is also underway for a major port development to support the company's vast vessel fleet in Brazil, the company said.</p>